Found Objects in Nature

Found Objects in Nature

Is what we think of as"Natural/Nature" really all that Natural?

I have not one but 2 found objects that I want to bring up.

One is the Albany Bulb.  It is this jutting piece of peninsula that hugs the Bay Trail in Albany, and a delightful place to hike. As you meander down the neck (the narrow part) to the actual roundish bulb at the end, you feel you are almost at an island out in the bay, with delightful view of the Bay Bridge on the one side and the Golden Gate Bridge and the hilly Marin county on the other. Sitting there, you can watch the poetry of the sun set over the silver ocean at dusk. Sometimes, you are granted the company of seagulls, ospreys and a falcon as you drink in the view.

But like the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, the Albany Bulb is also the site of a former man-made landfill (till 1983) from construction sites including the nearby Golden Gate Fields Racetrack. The early history of the Bay Area not only meant deforestation of Oakland trees to construct much of San Francisco but also an attempt to fill the shallow Bay. Remains of construction concrete and rebar litter the ground of the bulb though now overgrown by non-native vegetation like acacias, broom, fennel and palm. It is also become a habitat for small wildlife like snakes, owls, hares and the like. But you can still seen rusted iron rods peering out of giant concrete slabs making for a footing that needs care.

From the 1990s it also became a place for the homeless, who faced periodic eviction by the city as their numbers grew. It has also been an artist mecca of sorts with interesting artwork littered around the bulb, many using the debris found on the bulb.

At the end of the day, the bulb is a manmade creation which has had significant impacts on the natural world around it, like altering bay currents. Yet it is now considered part of the natural setting of the East Bay Parks and Trails. It gives us a moment of pause as we reflect upon the fact that what we now think of as "natural" was in fact not natural at all but a manmade artifact.

The 2nd found object I have noticed for a long time now are the “Vista Points” that one sees along the freeways. There is some irony in that we have to create designated spaces so that we humans can take a break to enjoy nature. Have we altered nature so much that it is now has to be compartmentalized into our lives?




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Comments:

I love that you chose the Albany landfill and elude to its interesting recent local history. It's a place I have a longstanding relationship to and have observed so many changes with how the space is used by humans (and their dogs) over the years. It's the first place I remember seeing a shooting star in the city. So much of the bay's coastline is infill, something that has created disastrous effects to large earthquakes in the area...makes me think about the part of the Cronon piece that talked about the unnaturalness of "natural disasters."

I like how you mentioned that society must "create designated spaces so that we humans can take a break to enjoy nature". I can definitely relate to this. This statement made me realize that in every day actions society has normalized the fact that we must be grateful for being able to access local parks and preserves for enjoying nature and escaping our metropolis when in reality it is us humans that have taken away from nature to begin with.

I found your second object particularly interesting to me! It reminds me of parks/ gardens that exist in cities so that people can get away from the concrete/ constructed world and be in a more "natural" setting. I also thought about nature conservatories and zoos, which are literally here to conserve parts of nature that would otherwise be extinct due to human alteration of the world.

Thanks for sharing, Hari! I too enjoy walking around and enjoying the views at Albany bulb. It's so interesting to consider its history. It almost makes me feel guilty to be enjoying the space at the expense of unhoused people who were evicted. I also love how the bay, lingering debris, and art come together to produce a space that is not strictly natural or unnatural.